Once they go, the fun begins. That's when Big 12 commissioner DeLoss Dodds has his work cut out for him.

Richard, DeLoss Dodds is not the Big 12 commissioner. There's a man named Dan Beebe with that title.

As I was saying, Big 12 commissioner DeLoss Dodds will attempt to keep the Big 12 in business.

Oklahoma becomes the key. If the Sooners stay — and my guess is they will — then the Big 12 will survive without Texas A&M.

Texas does not want to go independent. Getting into a BCS bowl becomes much more difficult.

If Dodds can convince OU to stay, the Big 12 remains viable. He'll probably attempt to add three teams to create a 12-team conference to withstand future defections.

Arkansas, Notre Dame and BYU appear to be at the top of his list. Arkansas and Notre Dame are unlikely to bite, and BYU's interest is unknown.

After those three, TCU, Houston and SMU are the most sensible options. Houston and SMU would definitely accept, and there are people who think TCU could be talked out of jumping to the Big East.

This is a huge opportunity for UH, which could be look- ing at its first legitimate shot to get into a BCS conference.

For the past couple of years, UH officials have believed Texas A&M would block it from the Big 12. With A&M out of the way, UH might have clear sailing.

UH fans shouldn't get their hopes up just yet because there's always the chance the Aggies change their mind.

Or maybe A&M and Texas might decide to sit down and reconcile their objections to the Longhorn Network.

Thursday's NCAA ruling that bans the showing of high school games is a step in the right direction, but it's only a small one. Aggies see the Texas/ESPN alliance as too much to overcome.

A mad, mad state

And there's emotion. In College Station, anger appears to be ruling the day. In Austin, they're angry that the Aggies are angry.

There's not someone with enough stature to get the two sides together and browbeat them. Where is LBJ when you need him?

When Beebe — OK, he really is the Big 12 commissioner — was asked about the crisis Wednesday, he said he hadn't spoken to anyone from A&M.

Really? Didn't have the time, Dan? Didn't have your iPhone handy? Did you have something more important than allowing your conference to vaporize?

I still don't understand A&M's cause for concern because there just doesn't appear to be enough compelling programming to do real damage. As long as the Longhorn Network isn't featuring conference games and high school recruits, it's likely to be niche programming for the orangest of the orangebloods.

On the other hand, it has to be infuriating for Aggies to click on to ESPN.com and see a huge banner ad asking readers to call their cable providers and sign up for the Longhorn Network.

The Aggies would have more financial stability in the SEC, but that won't be why they move. They'll move because they're mad and ready to show Texas who's boss.

If you're wondering about Texas A&M's ability to compete in the Southeastern Conference, don't.

Have faith in Byrne

A&M would be moving because it saw it as the best thing for the school over the next few decades. If Bill Byrne continues to hire the right coaches — and he has a pretty good track record — the Aggies will hold their own in any conference.

Byrne didn't have as much money to spend even before ESPN became a $15-million-a-year Texas booster, but he hasn't needed to.

Unless money buys wisdom, Texas A&M has nothing to worry about in the Big 12. Unfortunately, money and wisdom aren't driving the debate here. This is one is all about ego.

But the Aggies have to go this time. It's the only way they save face, and they can worry about the consequences down the road.